Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the application for the Homeowner Assistance and Reimbursement Programs (HARP) is now available in all eligible counties affected by flooding events in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley in 2018 and 2019, as well as Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019. The Texas General Land Office (GLO) allocated $137.8 million of Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for repair or reconstruction of owner-occupied single-family homes and reimbursement up to $50,000 for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred for reconstruction, rehabilitation, or mitigation. Repayment of SBA loans is also eligible for reimbursement.
"Southeast Texas and the Rio Grande Valley have been hit time and again by torrential rains and devastating flooding,” said Commissioner Bush. “The GLO is committed to leveraging these critical recovery dollars quickly and efficiently to help thousands of Texans to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.”
HARP Regions:
- South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley ($66,196,000): Cameron, Jim Wells, Hidalgo, Willacy
- Tropical Storm Imelda ($71,604,000): Chambers, Harris, Liberty, Jefferson, Montgomery, Orange, San Jacinto
A single application can be submitted for reimbursement and repair assistance. An application must be submitted along with required documents for consideration. HARP is a first-come, first-served basis and all homeowners are encouraged to apply immediately. Households applying for reimbursement that do not meet the low-to moderate-income (LMI) threshold will be processed after the first six months from application opening, but may receive construction assistance prior to then, based on their application date. HARP is only available for a main home (primary residence).
Potential applicants should review the Homeowner Assistance and Reimbursement Programs Checklist to have all applicable documents ready prior to applying. Potential applicants can find in-person assistance at regional Homeowner Assistance and Reimbursement Programs offices serving their area. In addition to a main office in each region, each county will have at least one application drop off location or pop-up office. Additional pop-up offices and application intake locations may be announced in the future. For assistance, interested participants can email cdr@recovery.texas.gov or call 1-844-893-8937.